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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
HOLY CHRIST ALMIGHTY THIS WAS DEPRESSING. In my opinion, this book is expertly written. I was very doubtful for the first couple of chapters when, to be honest, I couldn't grasp it at all, but further into the book it becomes quite straightforward to read. In fact, one of my criticisms is that a times it's quite predictable, especially the end.
I think the portrayal of the characters is one of the sharp, good points to this novel: the nameless brother and mammy, each significant more for their relation to our narrative voice rather than their individual lives. I strongly believe the mammy is the reason for everything going so badly.
The main reason this only has 3 stars is because I wouldn't really want to recommend it to anyone... I wouldn't want to put them through that pain and suffering (and not really feel uplifted at the end, that's for sure)! Very, very well written though. Very HONEST.
I think the portrayal of the characters is one of the sharp, good points to this novel: the nameless brother and mammy, each significant more for their relation to our narrative voice rather than their individual lives. I strongly believe the mammy is the reason for everything going so badly.
The main reason this only has 3 stars is because I wouldn't really want to recommend it to anyone... I wouldn't want to put them through that pain and suffering (and not really feel uplifted at the end, that's for sure)! Very, very well written though. Very HONEST.
This book seems to only get 5 or 1 star reviews. Funny that. I thought it was brilliant, if a bit rough around the edges, so five stars it is.
Also, heart-breaking, never to re-read. I almost cried on the bloody tube of all places.
Also, someone read Ulysses and loved it, I can tell.
That alone. I mean.
Also, a girl is. Half-formed, thing. All that. She knows exactly what she's talking about. Rare and refreshing.
Also, heart-breaking, never to re-read. I almost cried on the bloody tube of all places.
Also, someone read Ulysses and loved it, I can tell.
That alone. I mean.
Also, a girl is. Half-formed, thing. All that. She knows exactly what she's talking about. Rare and refreshing.
i’m a little conflicted with this book. it’s prose made me focus so much on figuring out what was happening i missed a lot of the undertones of the books. however in my time away from the story it haunted me it’s self loathing misery echoed in my mind for the past three days. the main characters impression of herself based on her encounters as a child is just depressing. she carrie’s that weight her entire life until she literally drowns under it. the entire novel made me entirely furious while i read it because of the stream of conscious narration until the last 10 pages when i was able to comprehend the full effect of what that language was able to convey.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence
This is not a novel for everyone. It is so unique in its construction and technique that its appeal will largely be to those readers who view fiction as art—modern, abstract art. And like that art it requires a great deal of effort to understand. How McBride managed to sustain this narrative for over 200 pages is nothing short of miraculous to me because my reading of the novel left me feeling as if my brain had been scrubbed with a Brillo pad. The prose is that painful, sharp, and devastating. The words don’t flow, there is no order, and at times they read like poetry, but largely they require utter concentration and focus to even follow. It is exhausting, grim and bleak, which is the whole point for this girl. She is trapped in her own mind with no real tools to deal with what is an incredibly difficult situation. What McBride gives us is the uncensored, unfiltered contents of her brain pouring onto the page.
I am so conflicted about this novel that I can't even give it a star rating.
The rest of this review is available at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-Se
I am so conflicted about this novel that I can't even give it a star rating.
The rest of this review is available at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-Se
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it took me a bit to get into it because I’ve never read a book with this kind of writing style but once i got into the grove of it I actually really liked it
this book made me cry on the train & i cannot stop thinking about it ever. i met a man.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like the author was writing an impactful and deeply emotional story, but I couldn’t receive or connect with the narrative. I can see how the use of disjointed sentences could represent the nuances in a stream of consciousness, but reading it was getting exhausting to try to make sense of it all.
The subject matter focused on the trauma, despair, and suffering of the protagonist’s narration and you can sense the attempt of delivering a sense of visceral intimacy, but the writing didn’t do that for me. Instead, I felt the characters to be irritating, unlikeable, and cruel more often than not. The narration felt forced, sharp, repetitive, and detached. Maybe I wasn’t the intended audience for this book, but I read it because it was recommended to me by a bookseller on one of my vacation trips. All that to say, I didn’t enjoy this read but hope others enjoy it more than myself if this sounds like their cup of tea ☕️
TW: Sexual abuse
I read the first chapter and thought: I'm never going to be able to read a book narrated like this. But, about four chapters in, the narrative style stops being a barrier to understanding the protagonist, and instead is a gateway into understanding her thoughts and emotions. The narrative style is adventurous, and resembles the messy and non-linear way that our brains understand experiences and situations. The protagonist is confused as she grows up, and her lack of clarity in life is illustrated by this style.
I thought that the depiction of sexual abuse in this book was harrowing, and it is this part of the book that fit best to the author's choice of writing style.
The final chapter was slightly confusing for me (which I think was the point), but I really did struggle to comprehend the events in the last chapter, hence a rating of 4 *. I am very glad I persevered with this book.
I read the first chapter and thought: I'm never going to be able to read a book narrated like this. But, about four chapters in, the narrative style stops being a barrier to understanding the protagonist, and instead is a gateway into understanding her thoughts and emotions. The narrative style is adventurous, and resembles the messy and non-linear way that our brains understand experiences and situations. The protagonist is confused as she grows up, and her lack of clarity in life is illustrated by this style.
I thought that the depiction of sexual abuse in this book was harrowing, and it is this part of the book that fit best to the author's choice of writing style.
The final chapter was slightly confusing for me (which I think was the point), but I really did struggle to comprehend the events in the last chapter, hence a rating of 4 *. I am very glad I persevered with this book.